Tribal Correspondence Letters

HAND DELIVERED

January 10, 2009

To whom it may concern:

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you, we are the Chamorro Tribe representing the Chamorro people in our quest for self-preservation; self-governance and cultural preservation. We are a registered non-profit corporation, State recognized tribal body.

Based on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the case of Government of Guam, Guam Economic Development Authority v. the United States of America. It is the opinion of the court that the territorial Government of Guam does not represent the aboriginal peoples of this island, classified by the United States Government in 1995 as Native American Pacific Islanders. The Court further states that this representation must be by a tribe or tribal representative.

Therefore, as the elected leaders of the Chamorro Tribe we hereby advise you of our standing and request that any future matters pertaining to the Chamorro people of Guam (Chamorro Tribe) in relation to the ANA or any other such United States Federal Organization or Agency in regard to Native American affairs regarding the Chamorro people be communicated through this body.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Schacher, Tribal Chairman

Gregory P. Schacher, Tribal Vice Chairman

Subject: Western Pacific Ocean

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:25:04 AM

To: The Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality

Dear Sir,

I have just recently had the opportunity to read the Memorandum from the President, dated August 25, 2008, regarding Potential Marine Conservation Management Areas. As a Native Inhabitant of the Island of Guam, I find this proposed action to be quite disturbing, insulting, and the heinous action of a Hippocratic, tyrannical, imperial government.

For over a century, the Chamorro People of Guam have been malign ed andsubjugated by the government of the United States of America. Under the Administration of the United States we were:

- Abandoned prior to the Japanese invasion of Dec. 8, 1941,

- Suffered every form of human depravity from the hands of the Japanesefor three years,

- Subjected to 30 days and nights of aerial and naval bombardment,encompassing the entire island without regard for our lives, resulting in the loss of more Chamorro lives from the re-occupation of our island by the U.S. military than the loss of life incurred during three years of Japanese savagery, and a complete decimation of our ecology,

- Denied any form of reparation for the inhuman atrocities committedagainst us,

- Had a third of our island stolen from us by the U.S. military, Legally restricted from speaking our language in public,

- Subjected to gamma radiation fallout from the atomic tests conductedin the Bikini Atoll,

- Subjugated under an Organic Act (48 U.S.C. Chapt. 8a) form of governance without our input or consent,

- Subjected to land based and aerial spraying ofdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) island wide for over two decades resulting in the complete decimation of our indigenous birds and killing my people slowly with cancer,

- Exposed to all of the Vietnam war era defoliants to include agent orange and the rest of the rainbow agents during the testing of those chemicals on our island prior to their deployment in Vietnam,

- Introduced to numerous invasive species of flora and fauna to include destructive insects, reptiles, and people.

All this and more under the United States policy of Benevolent Assimilation in regard to our island and our people. Now, through this proposed action, you people want us to believe that you're trying to protect our resources?? Based upon the history of deceit and abuse we have endured from the United States military it is far more conceivable for us to believe that this is just another smoke screen to take more from us, like our traditional fishing grounds, so that the United States may finally succeed in the genocide of the Chamorro People of Guam and be free to turn our island into the military installation they so desire.

There have been no studies conducted to scientifically justify this action. Enactment of this action without the full consent of the Chamorro People who are the Native Inhabitants of this Archipelago and thus the rightful owners of these waters and resources would be a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations, of which the United States is a signature, and would thus be a violation of the United States Constitution.

I pray that you and the Council you lead will have the courage and the moral fortitude to do what is right, proper, and constitutional.

Sincerely,

CHAMORRO TRIBE

Frank J. Schacher

Tribal Chairman

The Honorable Barack H. Obama

Presidentof the United States of America

TheWhite House

1600Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington,DC 20500

January 20, 2009

Mr. President,

First, we would like to take this opportunity to extend to you and the American people our sincere congratulations on your historic election and inauguration. This is the most profound development towards true racial equality in the United States since the ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America.

While the majority of the Chamorro people of Guam enjoy thinking of ourselves as Americans, the truth is, we are not recognized by the Constitution as American citizens, nor do we enjoy the full scope of rights and protection under the Constitution. On August 1, 1950, Congress approved the Guam Organic Act anddeclared Guam to be an unincorporated territory of the United States (48 U.S.C.).

This Act changed our political status as U.S. Nationals and granted the Native Inhabitants of Guam (Chamorros) statutory, unconstitutionalcitizenship. This Act is also a direct violation of the obligations of the United States under the Charter of the United Nations, and thus a violation of Article Six of the Constitution of the United States of America.

As an unconstitutional subjugated people, we watched your campaign and victory speech with great interest. Your promise to right the wrongs and your motto of "yes, we can" has left us with something we have not dared to feel for many years, hope. You see Mr. President, throughout the history of our relationship with the United States we have been the victims of deceit, theft, subjugation, discrimination, abandonment, and slow, subversive, genocide. All under the United States policy of Benevolent Assimilation towards our people.

Please allow us the opportunity to explain:

• As a colony of the United States, prior to the Japanese invasion, all military and civilian dependents, and all civilian contractors were evacuated from Guam in anticipation of the Japanese invasion. The Chamorro people were left to the mercy of the Japanese with just a token force of U.S. Navy personnel to surrender the Island;

• On December 8, 1941, Guam was captured by the Japanese. No words could ever fully describe the in human atrocities committed by the Japanese upon the Chamorros who had been abandoned;

• The naval and aerial bombardment carpeting Guam for 21 days and nights by the United States preceding the reoccupation of Guam more than two-and-a-half years later killed more Chamorros than the Japanese did and caused irreversible ecological destruction;

• The United States forgave the nation of Japan for the atrocities committed against the Chamorro people, without consideration of the Chamorro people or their land;

• The Non-Self Governing Territory of Guam became a Trust Territory of the United States of America under Chapter XI of the Charter of the United Nations;

•Chapters XII and XIII of the Charter of the United Nations provides for the establishment of an International Trusteeship System, the basic objectives of which, among others, are to promote the political, economic, social and educational advancement of the inhabitants of Trust Territories and to promote their progressive development towards self-government or independence;

•Principle VI of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 of I 960, states that a Non-Self Governing Territory can reach a full measure of self-government by: (a) emergence as a sovereign independent state; (b) free association with an independent state; or ( c) integration with an independent state;

• The United States of America is a signatory of the Charter of the United Nations;

• On August 1, 1950 the Guam Organic Act was approved by Congress, this Act was written by the Dept. of the Navy without any input, or approval from the Chamorro people of Guam;

• The Chamorro people do not enjoy full, equal rights, and protection as Constitutional Citizens of the United States, under the Organic Act of Guam;

• The Chamorro people of Guam have had over one third of their island unconstitutionally condemned by the United States;

•Chapter VIII "Equal Rights and Self Determination of Peoples" of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe's "Helsinki Accord," delineates that participating states will respect the equal rights of peoples and their right to self-determination, acting at all times inconformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;

• The United States of America is a signatory of the "Helsinki Accord";

• The Chamorro people of Guam have been exposed to radiation fall-out from atomic bomb tests conducted by the United States;

• The Chamorro people of Guam where exposed to dichlorobiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) for over two decades by the United States;

• The United States military's use, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials, toxins;

• and contaminants within Guam without the free, prior and informed consent of the Chamorro people since World War II, including Agent Orange, Agent Purple, dioxins, heavy metals;

•and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), continues to negatively affect Guam's people and land, and the effects of these hazardous materials, toxics, and contaminants within Guam remain undocumented, untreated, and unmitigated;

• The incidences of cancer in the Chamorro people of Guam are far out of proportion to the incidences in non-contaminated areas, and nasopharyngeal cancer incidences far outweigh all other cancer incidences in Guam;

• The combination of radiation exposure, chemical contamination, ecological destruction, and the uncontrolled introduction of invasive species of plants, insects, and animals has destroyed the Chamorro People of Guam's ability to sustain themselves through traditional means;

• The formation of United States military installations and Federal preserves has restricted the rights of the Chamorro people from the harvesting of their natural resources;

•Restrictions were placed on studying and perpetuating the history, culture, and language of the Chamorro people by the United States until Congress' enactment of the Organic Act in1950;

• Prior to 1962, a security clearance, requiring approval from the United States appointed Governor of Guam, was needed to travel to and from the island of Guam;

•Compacts of Free Association negotiated between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands without Guam's participation or input have resulted in an overwhelming influx of immigrants to the island of Guam;

• A complete and independent study of the true impact that the Compacts of Free Association have had on Guam's society and economy has never been conducted, resulting in the Federal Government providing far less in Compact Impact funding than actually needed, in the form of grants which do not compensate the additional local agency expenditures due to these compacts;

• It is the intent of the Federal Government to undertake the largest military buildup in the history of the United States on the island of Guam without adequately addressing Guam's infrastructure needs as they relate to this endeavor;

•Although the United States surrendered ownership of Guam upon ratification of the Charter of the United Nations, President George W. Bush recently ordered the establishment of the Marianas Trench National Monument. Thereby incorporating into the United States waters belonging to the Chamorro people.

Mr. President, these are but a few of the wrongs which have been and continue to be unjustly perpetrated upon Chamorros. Yet, Guam continues to have the highest per capita military enlistment rate of any jurisdiction of the United States and we continue to pursue the American dream. Because, we are enamored with the principles of the Constitution of the United States of America, it is the American dream, the bond that holds the different races of peoples, that are the United States, together as one Union. It is our desire to be incorporated into that Union as a registered Native American Tribe.

The Territorial Government of Guam is an instrument of the Organic Act and does not represent or serve the Chamorro people. It represents the United States, serves itself and is completely corrupted in all three tiers.

This unconstitutional government has lost the trust and confidence of the people. We firmly believe that this corruption has been allowed to continue because it perpetuates the United States policy of benevolent assimilation.

We implore you to change that policy, right the wrongs, and establish a new relationship with our people. One based on mutual respect; one which conforms to the Constitution of the United States of America.

During these troubled times, as we watch our sons and daughters fight and die, side by side with other American servicemen and servicewomen; as we watch our island economy crumble with the rest of the world's economies; as we tighten our belts for the long, hard road we face, we would like to thank you. Your words have given us some hope for the future of our race.

Although we may not fully comprehend the full scope of what you face in your tenure as President, we are confident that should you follow the path of leading by example as Sen. Clinton so admirably stated at her Secretary of State Confirmation Hearing, "God will once again smile on the United States and the world will recover."

Because of our renewed faith in the United States Government under your Administrationit is our intent to pursue Federal Registration with your Department of Interior as a Native American Tribe. We pray that you might assist us with this quest to protect our race, our culture, and preserve our island for the generations to follow.

Our prayers will also be with you Mr. President.

Sincerely,

CHAMORRO TRIBE

Frank J. Schacher, Chairman

Gregory P. Schacher, Vice Chairman

CC: The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America the Honorable Robert Byrd, President Pro Tem of the Senate, Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, Honorable Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior

Joint Guam Program Office

John Jackson, Program Director

January 21, 2009

I would like to take this chance to convey the perspectives of the Chamorro Tribe concerning the proposed United States Military Buildup on our island.

In 1946, the United States government signed the Charter of the United Nations. According to Article 6 of the Constitution of the United States, any treaties ratified by the Senate with foreign entities become law. The Constitution was designed to ensure the integrity of the United States remains unassailable. Some may argue that Article 6 pertains solely to treaties with Sovereign Nations, asserting that the United Nations does not qualify as such. However, this proposed military buildup, lacking the full consent of the island's indigenous inhabitants, contravenes both the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitution's intent.

Additionally, in 1975, the United States entered into treaties with Sovereign Nations via the Helsinki Accord. Chapter 9 of this Accord requires adherence to Chapters XI, XII, and XIII of the Charter of the United Nations. This treaty, ratified by the Senate, is thus governed by the Constitution of the United States.

Continuing this extensive military initiative on our island without our complete consent would clearly infringe upon Articles XI, XII, and XIII of the United Nations Charter and Chapter 9 of the Helsinki Accord, constituting a direct violation of Article 6 of the Constitution.

In these challenging times, as our new President and his Cabinet face the immense task of restoring America's reputation, proceeding without adherence to the Constitution would not only be an affront to the Chamorro People but also detrimental to the efforts of our new President, his Cabinet, and the American populace.

While we recognize the nation's needs, we strongly oppose the manner in which these operations are executed without regard for the rights of the island's indigenous population, the United States' obligations to the United Nations, and its commitments to the other signatories of the Helsinki Accord.

It is important to note that before our people can endorse this military initiative, significant historical and ongoing issues must be resolved. Only then can this endeavor prove advantageous for both the United States and the Chamorro People of Guam.

Failing to address these matters sends a clear signal to the world that the United States does not uphold its treaty obligations or adhere to its Constitution.

Sincerely,

CHAMORRO TRIBE

Frank J. Schacher, Chairman

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20447

January 22, 2009

The Honorable Frank J. Schacher, Chairman Chamorro Tribe

The Honorable Gregory P. Schacher, Vice Chairman Chamorro Tribe
P.O. Box24753 GMF

Barrigada, Guam 96921

Dear Sirs,

Thank you for your letter of introduction dated January 10, 2009. The Chamorro Tribe's stated quest for self-preservation, self-governance, and cultural preservation is a commendable pursuit and one that can be fully appreciated bythe Administration for Native Americans (ANA). ANA subscribes to the philosophy that sustainable change must originate within the community. As you may know, ANA serves to promote economic and social self-sufficiency for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American Pacific Islanders, including Guam. To this end, ANA projects are planned, designed, and implemented by Native community members to address their particular needs.

I have instructed ANA's Pacific Region coordinators to include the Chamorro Tribe as a recipient of future announcements and mailings as appropriate. If you would like more information about ANA-funded projects in Guam, please visit www.anapacificbasin.org.

Caroline E. Gary

DeputyCommissioner

Administration for Native Americans

cc:

Sharon Fuji, Regional Administrator

SusanWhite, Project Director

Office of the Assistant Secretary

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

601 South 12th StreetArlington, VA 22202-4220

Transportation Security Administration

March 12, 2009

Mr. Frank Schacher

Tribal Chairman

Chamorro Tribe

P.O. Box 24753 GMF

Barrigada, GU 96921

Dear Mr. Schacher:

On behalf of Secretary Janet Napolitano, thank you for your letter of January 29, 2009, regarding the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) requirement to screen 50 percent of cargo transported on passenger air carriers. Specifically, your letter expressed concern that the congressional mandate would result in hardship to the Chamorro Tribe due to damages from physically screening tuna and a loss of more than 200 local jobs in the Long Line Tuna Industry.

Increased air cargo screening measures are required by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, Public Law 110-53, which directs TSA to establish a system to screen 50 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by February 1, 2009, and 100 percent of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by August 2010. Cargo on all-cargo air carriers does not require piece level screening.

We recognize that a variety of industries, including the long line tuna industry, depend upon the aviation cargo industry to provide 'Just in time" processes to support the continuing flow of products throughout the supply chain. To assist industry in complying with the new screening requirements and continue to meet customer needs, we have developed the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP). The CCSP is a voluntary program for companies that wish to transport cargo on passenger air carriers.

The CCSP is a facility-based program for supply chain entities located within the United States. Facilities that successfully apply and participate in the CCSP will be designated as Certified Cargo Screening Facilities (CCSF) and must adhere to TSA mandated security standards.

Any facility that tenders cargo directly to an air carrier or indirect air carrier may apply to become a CCSF. This includes: manufacturers, warehouses, distribution centers, third party logistics providers, indirect air carriers, airport cargo handlers, and independent cargo screening facilities. A tuna packing facility such as one in the long line tuna industry in Guam can apply to become a CCSF.

We began certifying cargo screening facilities in December 2008. Our initial efforts have included a pilot screening technology program and the launch of the CCSP in 18 major gateway cities. By launching the CCSP in high-volume aviation cargo environments, we are afforded the opportunity to evaluate large quantities of varied commodities in multiple cargo configurations. In mid-February 2009, wenotified the air cargo industry that CCSF screened cargo could be accepted by carriers at any airport in the United States or its territories.

TSA has and will continue to work closely with our aviation cargo industry security partners to achieve stronger security requirements, while preserving the efficient flow of commerce. While we expect the implementation of the CCSP to be continuously refined as we gain experience in this area, we are confident that our long-term cargo security solution provides a robust screening regime for enhancing air cargo security.

I hope this information is helpful. If we may be of further assistance, please contact Mr. Edward J. Kelly, General Manager for Air Cargo, at (571) 227-1524.

Sincerely yours,

Gale D. Rossides

Acting Administrator

January 7, 2010

Joint Guam Program Office, c/o Naval Facilities Engineering Command

258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 1000

PearlHarbor, Hawaii 96860-3134

Ladies/Gentlemen,

For the past couple of months I have been carefully studying the draft E.I.S. I must say that it is exceptionally alarming both in intent as well as the total lack of any acknowledgement, or reference to the aboriginal and inherent rights of the Chamorro People, most especially since it is our island, our ancestral remains, our sacred artifacts, our waters, our culture, and our right to exist as a race that would be destroyed by these intended actions.

Once again, your actions prove the deceit within your words and the total disregard of everything outside the parameters of your desires, to include your own laws.

When I was a young man, like most of my peers and our elders, I believed in the inherent good of the United States. I believed that truth, justice, and equality were the "American way". I believed that America was a country founded upon and bound to the principles of The Constitution of the United States of America. I believed America's morality and integrity wereabove reproach. These beliefs were what led me, and so many of my people to serve such a great nation through her armed services, proud to be Americans.

Shame on us for being so trusting and naïve.

We now live in the 21st century, the age of information, where the truth has been revealed. We have educated ourselves and are now armed with the knowledge of your true nature. That of a Usurper and destroyer of the weak, the innocent, and the ignorant. We are a living testimony to the continuing saga of your hypocrisy.

For those of you who are not so knowledgeable of the immoral and inhumane acts committed against my people, allow me to educate you:

• As a colony of the United States, prior to the Japanese invasion, all military and civilian dependents, and all civilian contractors were evacuated from Guam in anticipation of the Japanese invasion. The Chamorro people were left to the mercy of the Japanese with just a token force of U.S. Navy personnel to surrenderthe Island;

• On December 8, 1941, Guam was surrendered to the Japanese. No words could ever fully describe the inhuman atrocities committed by the Japanese upon the Chamorros who had been abandoned;

• The naval and aerial bombardment carpeting Guam for 21 days and nights by the United States preceding the reoccupation of Guam more than two-and-a-half years later killed more Chamorros than the Japanese did and caused total, irreversible ecological destruction of our tropical rain forests;

• The United States forgave the nation of Japan for the atrocities committed against the Chamorro people, without consideration of the Chamorro people or their land;

• The Non-Self-Governing Territory of Guam became a Trust Territory of the United States of America under Chapter XI of the Charter of the United Nations;

•Chapters XII and XIII of the Charter of the United Nations provides for the establishment of an International Trusteeship System, the basic objectives of which, among others, are to promote the political, economic, social and educational advancement of the inhabitants of Trust Territories and to promote their progressive development towards self-government or independence;

•Principle VI of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 of 1960, states that a Non-Self-Governing Territory can reach a full measure of self-government by: (a) emergence as a sovereign independent state; (b) free association with an independent state; or (c) integration with an independent state;

• The United States of America is a signatory of the Trusteeship agreement with the United Nations;

• On August 1st, 1950 the Guam Organic Act was approved by Congress, this Act was written by the Dept. of the Navy without any input, or approval from the Chamorro people of Guam;

• The Chamorro people do not enjoy full, equal rights, and protection as Constitutional Citizens of the United States, under the Organic Act of Guam;

• The Organic Act of Guam juxtaposed the military government of Guam with the Territorial Government of Guam and placed administrative authority of that government under the Secretary of Interior, thereby making it a branch of the Department of Interior;

• The Chamorro people of Guam have had over one third of their island unconstitutionally condemned by the United States;

• In 1952 the United States of America was a signatory of the San Francisco Accord with the nation of Japan, which mandated the protection of the inherent and aboriginal rights of the native inhabitants of Guam;

•Chapter VIII "Equal Rights and Self Determination of Peoples" of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe's "Helsinki Accord," delineates that participating states will respect the equal rights of peoples and their right to self-determination, acting at all times in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;

• The United States of America is a signatory of the "Helsinki Accord";

• The Chamorro people of Guam have been exposed to radiation fall-out from atomic bomb tests conducted by the United States;

• The Chamorro people of Guam where exposed to dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) for over two decades by the United States;

• The United States military's use, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials, toxins, and contaminants within Guam without the free, prior and informed consent of the Chamorro people since World War II, including Agent Orange, Agent Purple, dioxins, heavy metals, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), continues to negatively affect Guam's people and land, and the effects of these hazardous materials, toxics, and contaminants within Guam remain undocumented, untreated, and unmitigated;

• The incidences of cancer in the Chamorro people of Guam are far out of proportion to the incidences in non-contaminated areas, and nasopharyngeal cancer incidences far outweigh all other cancer incidences in Guam;

• The combination of radiation exposure, chemical contamination, ecological destruction, and the uncontrolled introduction of invasive species of plants, insects, and people has destroyed the Chamorro People of Guam's ability to sustain themselves through traditional means;

• The formation of United States military installations and Federal preserves has restricted the rights of the Chamorro people from the harvesting of their natural resources;

•Restrictions were placed on studying and perpetuating the history, culture, and language of the Chamorro people by the United States until Congress' enactment of the Organic Act in 1950;

• Prior to 1962, a security clearance, requiring approval from the United States appointed Governor of Guam, was needed to travel to and from the island of Guam;

•Although Guam is an Unincorporated Territory, the United States has designated several National Parks on our island. National Parks are incorporated areas of the United States;

• In 1995 the Federal Register announced the change in the United States designation of the Chamorro people to Native American Pacific Islanders;

•Compacts of Free Association negotiated between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands without Guam's participation or input have resulted in an overwhelming influx of immigrants to the island of Guam;

• A complete and independent study of the true impact that the Compacts of Free Association have had on Guam's society and economy has never been conducted, resulting in the Federal Government providing far less in Compact Impact funding than actually needed, in the form of grants which do not compensate the additional local agency expenditures due to these compacts;

• 1999 Supreme Court ruling in Government of Guam/Guam Economic Development Authorityvs. The United States of America, the court ruled the Gov. of Guam had no authority to represent the aboriginal rights of the native inhabitants of Guam, only a Tribe, or under special circumstances a tribal member has thatauthority;

•Although the United States surrendered ownership of Guam upon ratification of the Trusteeship agreement with the United Nations, President George W. Bush recently ordered the establishment of the Mariana's Trench National Monument. Thereby incorporating into the United States waters belonging to the Chamorro people.

Now, the United States wants to conduct the largest military build-up outside of the United States here on our little island. Non-inclusive of the transient presence of any aircraft carrier or carrier strike group, it is your estimate that this would involve increasing the population of our island by an additional 79,178 non-Chamorro by 2014. There is not one single reference within your E.I.S. on the SIGNIFICANT IMPACT this would have on the Chamorro people. Your reference to our race and culture within the section addressing the potential rise in crime shows that you are both aware of our existence and ignorant of the impact your current in1migration policies have already had on our race. We have been a minority race on our island for over 20 years now.

Within your E.I.S. you seem to have answered all of the questions that you have asked yourselves. I don't believe you even attempted to answer the questions involving the issues we are concerned with, other than to defer mitigation to the branch of the Department of Interior locally referred to as the Governmentof Guam.

When are you people going to start conforming with your FEDERAL TRUST RESPONSIBILITIES? We are not illiterate, we are not dumb, and we do have a fair grasp of the English language; far better than your grasp of our language. Just as we have a far broader knowledge of our island, our waters, and our ecology than your paid experts who developed this incomplete, inaccurate, over zealous, bureaucratic abortion you refer to as your Draft EIS/OEIS.

Let's begin with consideration of the destruction of the coral reefs adjacent to, or downhill from any proposed construction projects: Silt runoff generated from the construction, and existence of concrete and/or asphalt structures and substrates without the permanent emplacement of silt filters, or catchments would result in the destruction of the coral reefs. Have you considered the Federal Coral Reef Preservation Act? Or, are our reefs that provide the habitat for our traditional sources of protein (fish), similar to the Native American bison?

Potable Water: Contrary to what your experts have told you, anyone who has lived on our island during a drought year can tell you from experience that the Northern Aquifer does not contain an unlimited supply of fresh water. Besides that, you haven't even had the decency to ask before assuming you can just take.

Land: Every Chamorro family I know who own land within your proposed areas are abjectly opposed to your use, rental, lease, purchase, or condemnation of their lands. Your Government has already stolen enough of our lands.

Terrestrial Biological Resources: You have already killed off the vast majority of indigenous species of terrestrial resources with your toxic pesticides. Your destruction of the remaining natural habitat would result in the completion of your previous attempts.

Marine Biological Resources: Your mitigation seems to be focused on replacement somewhere else with an artificial reef, or a watershed management system. This is not your neighbors tool shed your talking about, our reefs are as much a part of our lives as our families. They have sustained us since the beginning of time.

Cultural Resources: Contrary to your Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Black's labeling of us as "Chamorrons", we are intelligent enough to understand the Supreme Courts ruling regarding the Government of Guam's authority over the aboriginal rights of the native inhabitants of this island. Are you? If you are, why do you persist on mitigating these issues with them? I suggest you familiarize yourselves with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Oh, by the way, we consider all of the above topics, as inherent and aboriginal issues.

You present yourselves to the world as the pillar of democracy, the defenders of freedom and morality. President Obama speaks of righting the wrongs, the right of indigenous peoples to govern themselves according to their cultural beliefs.

Yet, your actions in regards to the Chamorro People and our archipelago tell a different story. The United Nations defines genocide as the denial of a peoples right to exist, just as murder is the denial of persons right to life. TheUnited States Government's continued subjugation of my people and our homeland,the continuous infusion of different ethnicities without regard to the protection of our aboriginal rights and cultural values is a denial of our right to exist. Shame on you.

You have exposed us to radiation fallout, you have sprayed us with toxins, you have stolen our lands, and you have exploited our culture and our people all for your benefit. We have watched our family members suffer and die, victims of your benevolent assimilation. You show more respect and provide better care tothose who have attacked you, than to we who have been loyal to you. You court us with words of righteousness, giving us hope without substance. You subject us to your laws, but hold yourselves above those same laws. Throughout all of this we have persevered. We have remained steadfast in our loyalty, because weare enamoured with the Constitution that you advertise but don't adhere to. Shame on you.

We have reached a pinnacle in our relationship wherein change must occur. This proposed military build-up, with our current political status will result in the cultural and racial genocide of the Chamorro people. We know this to be true.

You are forcing us to choose between the destruction of our race, our homeland, and our culture, or to rise up against you in the hope that we may preserve something for our children and the generations to follow. Once mypeople recognize a threat, it is not in our nature to sit idle and be consumed.

This is the final chapter in your benevolent assimilation doctrine. Your future actions shall be the determining factor of our own. We will not lay down and quietly die for the sake of another's greed and convenience.

Frank J. Schacher, Chairman

CHAMORRO TRIBE

cc:

President of the United States of America, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, President Pro Tempo re of the United States Senate, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, Secretary of the Department of Interior, Secretary of Defense, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations & Environment, Elected Leaders of the Territorial Governmentof Guam, All Local and National Media